How to Make Tweed Yarn in 10 Easy Steps!

This September in our Fiber of the Month Club, we took our members back to Fiber Art school with 5 unique spinning fibers, a never before seen highlighter dyeing tutorial, a lesson on creating classic tweed yarn, and an introduction to a time-tested technique to get the most yardage out of your wool when hand spinning!

Have you been dreaming of creating your very own yarn? Perhaps you are looking for the next big thing in dyed wool!? Stick around and watch our member unboxings for our September Fiber of the Month Club below, and get a taste of what our members experienced this month! What surprises await when dyeing wool with highlighters? Click here to see our Highlighter dyeing tutorial or skip below to watch out Tweed Tutoria.

Take a Closer Look at our September FOTMC

This was the first time, to our member’s surprise, that our club was shipped in a BAG and not a box! The theme of this kit was “Back to School” so naturally, we included everything you’d need for a new fiber adventure in a drawstring backpack! Inside, a brown paper lunch sack with “<3 you” handwritten from mom included 4 oz. of premium undyed, Cheviot wool top. Nestled around the “lunch sack” were 4 vibrantly colored organza drawstring bags filled with 1 oz. of our striking pulled, recycled, Sari Silk Roving. A waterproof pencil case was also included in our September kit, containing a vinyl sticker of our logo turned into a delicious red apple, a chalkboard sheep pin, a bubble gum treat, vinyl gloves, and three Sharpie Highlighters in the colors Pink – Orange – and Yellow.

In addition to all these goodies, members received helpful links to prepare for the featured tutorials, which we will discuss further here, and a tutorial on dyeing wool roving/yarn with Sharpie Highlighters!

Did you receive our September Package? Let us know what you created in the comment section below! Join our Ravelry groupto see what other members

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An Introduction to Tweed Yarn

As Autumn approaches, the sensible fabric to wear due to its lightweight and warmth is Tweed! Tweed is defined as a rough-surfaced woolen cloth, typically of mixed flecked colors. Tweed has a long history and is easily attainable in under 10 steps. Originating in Scotland in the 18th century, tweed was first designed to be a coarse cloth woven from pure wool fibers in varying colors. Scottish weavers wished to make a denser and heavier cloth, and by developing the “twill” (the diagonal line running through the fabric) they produced what is recognized as tweed today. The generic term came from a London cloth merchant misreading “tweel”, the Scottish version of twill. Tweed is more alive today than ever, mainly found in outwear with an unmistakable appearance! Our September Fiber Club included the ingredients needed to make your very own Tweed yarn, here’s how in 10 easy steps using Cheviot wool and Sari Silk.

When making tweed yarn all you need to do is grab your favorite fibers of varying staple lengths, colors, and micron counts and blend them all together with several passes on a drum carder. You can also use a blending board or hand cards to blend the fibers together. A true tweed yarn has a marbled appearance with flecks of color and texture throughout. To achieve this, when using multiple different fibers, be sure to blend the fiber thoroughly several times.

Step one: Apply a layer of base fiber to your drum carder. (Cheviot Wool)
Step two: Apply flecks of different colors and textures. (Pulled Sari Silk Roving)
Step three: Apply another layer of your base fiber.
Step four: Remove the batt and strip sections off lengthwise and run the pieces through the carder again. (repeat three or more times to ensure the fibers are seamlessly blended)
Step five: Remove the batt and roll into a center pull bump
Step six: Spin the bump in a woolen style using long draw while attenuating out any undesired bumps.
Step seven: Ply the single into itself for a bulkier yarn, or onto a thinner single to create an art yarn, or leave as is.
Step eight: Skein your yarn and soak overnight.
Step nine: THWACK your yarn to further set your twist and let air dry.
Step ten: Knit, crochet, weave or felt something warm and cozy with your tweed yarn.